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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §35.2.65.pr

Validity of Bequests Conditioned on Equal Payment

Passage 5510 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

A bequest of a tract of land worth fifty under the condition of paying fifty to the heir is valid because the legatee may suffer the Falcidian reduction, whereas bequeathing fifty aurei under the condition of paying fifty is void and ridiculous.

[PAULUS libro sexto ad legem Iuliam et Papiam. ] §35.2.65.prSi fundus legatus sit quinquaginta dignus sub hac condicione, si quinquaginta heredi dedisset, plerique putant utile esse legatum, quia condicionis implendae causa datur: nam constat etiam Falcidiam eum pati posse.
[PAULUS, in the sixth book on the Lex Iulia et Papia.] If a tract of land worth fifty is bequeathed under this condition, "if he should have given fifty to the heir," most jurists think that the bequest is valid, because it is given for the purpose of fulfilling a condition; for it is clear that he too can suffer the Falcidian reduction.
sed si quinquaginta aurei legati sint, si quinquaginta dedisset, dicendum inutile esse legatum et magis ridiculum esse.
But if fifty aurei are bequeathed under the condition, "if he should have given fifty," it must be said that the bequest is void, and indeed rather ridiculous.

Notes

  1. 35.2.65.prquinquaginta — Ablative functioning as the complement of the adjective dignus (worthy of). The unit of currency (aureis) is understood.
  2. 35.2.65.prFalcidiam — Ellipsis for Falcidiam legem, used here substantively to mean "the Falcidian reduction (of the bequest)." It is the direct object of pati.
  3. 35.2.65.preum — The subject accusative of the infinitive phrase eum pati posse (that he can suffer). It refers to the legatee (legatarius) of the land.
  4. 35.2.65.prdicendum — An impersonal gerundive construction of obligation, with the copula esse omitted. It governs two accusative-with-infinitive clauses: inutile esse legatum and magis ridiculum esse.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §35.2.65.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:35.2.65.pr

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